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House of Prayer ‘mistreated OAP’

Anthony Tierney, a former devotee of Christina Gallagher, the self-styled Marian visionary, is suing the House of Prayer in Achill, claiming he was denied medical care after falling from a ladder at the Co Mayo retreat last year.

The pensioner, who claims to have handed over "thousands of euros" to the organisation, alleges that he was locked in a room for a weekend following the accident. He claims he was denied access to a doctor because the organisation is "obsessed with secrecy" and fearful of negative publicity.

The House of Prayer has faced growing criticism from former followers, who claim they were "coerced" into donating large sums of money to Gallagher's organisation.

Tierney, who moved to Ireland to live in the House of Prayer where he did "odd jobs", has now returned to Peterborough in England. His solicitors lodged a personal injuries claim in the High Court last week and